Phuket figure says MP shooting post was misunderstood, denies threat

A Phuket businessman identified as “Sia Lek” said on May 6 that a social media post referring to shooting an MP and a Bt200,000 bail amount was misunderstood and was not aimed at threatening Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee. The clarification came after Chalermpong, a People’s Party MP for Phuket’s District 2, said he feared dark influence after speaking out about alleged encroachment on reserved forest land near Freedom Beach.

Post tied to Narathiwat shooting case

Parinthorn Ruengrattanawanich, identified as the owner of the post, issued his explanation through the “Hod Jung Changwat Phuket” page. He said the message was prompted by news he had followed about the shooting of an MP in Narathiwat.

According to his statement, court-approved bail for a suspect in that case was set at Bt200,000. He said his comment was intended as a question about that situation, but he posted only the caption and did not attach the original news report, leading to wider misunderstanding.

Parinthorn said he had never intended to harm anyone and had always respected the law. He added that he had relied on legal channels to resolve problems in his life and had never used violence.

He also said the fallout had damaged his family’s reputation after he was accused of being an influential figure and family photos were circulated in a negative context.

Source: https://www.komchadluek.net/news/crime/616810